Cc Teacher Highlight: Erin Nutsugah

Ready for more back-to-school inspiration? Meet Erin, another Baltimore City teacher, illustrator, and fiber artist using Common Curriculum to write creative lesson plans. Erin teaches 12th grade ELA and runs a zine club (so cool!) at Baltimore Design School (BDS), alongside her best friend and fellow Cc fan, Meghann Harris. Erin says she chose BDS because, “I wanted to be at a school where my students would be eager to make connections between English and art, where my work as a practicing artist/designer matters in the classroom, and where the staff loves and supports the kids and each other.” Erin started using Cc last year to keep her super detailed plans in one place. Keep reading to see what Erin is up to this school year!

What is one thing you wish your students knew about you?

That’s a hard question because I just tell my students anything I want them to know. I believe in being candid with them about my teaching practice and don’t mind them seeing me as a real human with issues, though of course there are boundaries. One thing I do hope my students grasp quickly is how much I genuinely like hearing their ideas. I enjoy teaching upper high school because they’re at a fascinating age, teetering on the edge of their full selves, both hyper-aware of this and completely unselfconscious. I love to know what and how they’re processing, and I love to help them say those thoughts well. That’s also why I think it’s important to be as honest as possible with teenagers: they have this subconscious idea that adults are no longer exploratory. It’s vital for them to see that you never stop discovering your own depths, that all people and stories are endlessly complex.

What is the one teacher tool/resource you couldn’t live without?

I could truthfully say Common Curriculum but I think I’ve worn that out, haha. Second to Cc is a note-taking app called Evernote. Really any good notes app would work just as well; the point is that I can edit the notes from all my devices and include different attachments/media. This is important for me because I get lesson planning inspiration from ALL over the place. Literature class is really about learning how to take things in, in my opinion. I might be reading a novel or New Yorker article, watching an animated TV show, or talking about new movies with friends — whenever I’m processing media (which fascinates me in all forms), I end up thinking about ways to have students go through the same cognitive journey. Unfortunately, I’m also so forgetful! So I open Evernote and quickly start a note with just a photo or title of the thing that struck a chord. I add to the idea on my phone whenever I think about it, and then refer to it on my computer later when I’m sitting down to plan. My most interesting lessons come from these organic ideas.

How has Cc improved your teaching practice?

Cc has cut down my prep time by SO much. High school ELA is constantly in the spotlight with testing and gatekeeping and new initiatives at all levels, which means lots of “guidance” documents. Although we have curriculum guidelines from BCPS, often the materials we receive aren’t very complete or streamlined, so I was constantly trying to make my own organizational tools. And as I said above, I always had a whole pile of my own ideas that I wanted to wedge in there! Whenever I sat down to long-term plan, there were at least three Word docs and four or five browser tabs open, and I would get overwhelmed before I could get very far. Cc allows me to put literally all of these things in one place, on one screen. I can lay out the provided curriculum on a calendar, attach the district or state documents directly, paste in those notes and photos from my Evernote, etc. I can look at all this side by side and edit or rearrange it seamlessly as I go through the year. It has streamlined my planning process so much that I can genuinely say I am able to plan and execute better lessons because of Cc, AND able to live my out-of-classroom life with less stress.

What is one cool thing you’re working on outside the classroom?

Thanks for asking this question — support teachers with other passions! I have a few projects right now. I’m about to start working on a comic commissioned by my friend Krystal Mack for the first issue of a zine for PalatePALETTE, her new project exploring the intersection of food and art. In my personal artwork, I make illustrations as well as fiber art, and this summer I’ve started some mixed media pieces that integrate those. Right now they’re just for me but I’d love to show them one day. And lastly, I’ll be getting married in 2020 and my partner Kevin and I are definitely treating our wedding like a very epic art project.

What has been your proudest/most challenging moment as a teacher?

It’s impossible to pinpoint a most challenging moment; the whole endeavor is a moving target. My proudest moments come whenever students reach out to me of their own accord. Sometimes they’ll message me with a grammar question or email me a college paper to read over, or just DM me a literature meme about a book we read. It tells me that they are continuing to consider, ask, self-correct, and make connections once they’ve left my classroom. This is exactly how I try to train kids as readers and writers, as well as the type of thinkers I hope they become no matter what they do.

You can follow Erin on Instagram @erinutsugah/@missnutsugah and support her classroom directly with a donation.

Watch this video to hear why Erin loves Cc, from Erin herself! Then, check out Cc 5.0 for yourself, here! Sign up for your free account and start a Pro trial at any time. Stay up to date on all new Cc things by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.